Announcements from the Michigan Clean Water Corps | May 18, 2017
Michigan Volunteer Stream Monitoring Program Grant Awards for 2017
The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the Great Lakes Commission (GLC) are pleased to announce nearly $51,000 in grants to help five organizations perform local water quality monitoring work under the Michigan Clean Water Corps (MiCorps) Program.
The MiCorps Program was established to assist the state’s volunteer water quality organizations with water quality assessments, protection, and stewardship of Michigan’s lakes and rivers. These volunteer-dependent monitoring groups further expand the existing network of committed citizens who are working hard to monitor water quality in Michigan.
The grants are awarded through the DEQ’s MiCorps Volunteer Stream Monitoring Program to provide training and support for volunteers. These grants support the DEQ’s work to collect quality data on the state’s water resources.
The five organizations awarded grants to support volunteer monitoring work beginning in 2017 area:
- Missaukee Conservation District – $13,925 to monitor macroinvertebrate populations and stream habitat conditions at sites in the Upper Muskegon River and Manistee River watersheds, including Mosquito Creek, Muskegon River, Clam River, Hopkins Creek, and the Manistee River, while also raising awareness about water quality; promoting stewardship among the citizens of Missaukee County; and identifying problem areas where degradation has occurred and best management practices or remediation may be implemented.
- Jamestown Charter Township/Trinity Christian Reformed Church – $13,838 to monitor macroinvertebrate and habitat conditions in Rush Creek, a tributary to the Grand River in eastern Ottawa County, while partnering with high schools and local residents to educate community members on the importance of the creek and identifying problem areas to address within the watershed.
- Muskegon River Watershed Assembly – $13,132 to add additional macroinvertebrate and habitat assessment monitoring sites along the Bear, Sand, Brooks, Cedar, and Tamarack Creeks within the Muskegon River watershed, with the goals of educating Muskegon River watershed residents on ways to monitor, protect, and improve water quality; documenting changes in stream conditions over time; and determining problem areas where best management practices can be used to address nonpoint source pollution.
- Outdoor Discovery Center Macatawa Greenway – $3,000 to develop a volunteer macroinvertebrate monitoring program along the Rabbit River, a tributary of the Kalamazoo River, located within Allegan County. The funding also supports the design of a monitoring strategy as a first step toward the development of a full proposal for a monitoring program.
- St. Joseph County Conservation District – $7,025 to conduct a road/stream crossing inventory that will assess 65-80 sites within the St. Joseph River watershed within St. Joseph County, including crossings over the Rocky River, Portage River, Prairie River, and Spring Creek. The results will assist in prioritizing road improvements where culverts are failing or not properly sized.
The DEQ established the Volunteer Stream Monitoring Program in 1998 and contracted with the GLC to administer it as part of MiCorps in the fall of 2004. The GLC also partners with the Huron River Watershed Council, the Michigan Lake and Stream Associations, Inc., and Michigan State University in administering the MiCorps Program.
For additional information about the Michigan Volunteer Stream Monitoring Program grants, contact Dr. Paul Steen, Huron River Watershed Council, at psteen@hrwc.org.
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The Michigan Clean Water Corps (MiCorps) was created through Michigan Executive Order #2003-15 to assist the Department of Environmental Quality in collecting and sharing water quality data for use in water resources management and protection programs.